🚀 go-pugleaf

RetroBBS NetNews Server

Inspired by RockSolid Light RIP Retro Guy

Article View: digex.general
Article #22

Re: SLCs, Digex and BA (Was: Re: DIGEX Customer Newsletter)

#22
From: Sean Connery
Date: Wed, 27 Dec 1995 00:00
60 lines
3949 bytes
In article <4bpp4r$39m@zippy.cais.net>,
Dr. Roger M. Firestone <rfire@cais2.cais.com> wrote:
>I have listened carefully to the current Erol's advertisements on radio
>and they state "every line has a 28.8 modem"--but not what speed you're
>going to connect to those modems!
>
>So what did Digex advertise?  Is the company being unfairly treated for
>having advertised something it is not providing, or did it merely state
>the modem speeds, without guaranteeing that one would necessarily be
>able to achieve maximum modem rates?

I do not personally feel that the problem has been with Digex advertising 
one speed but not providing it at all....that is not it.

The bigger problem is how long it took to get to the point of finding the 
fault with the SLC96s.

I had a USR Courier v.everything wayyyyyy back when they first came out.  
This is my brief chronology of how things happened here and why at least 
*I* personally am concerned that it took so long to get to the point we 
are.  It took many...many moons for Digex to even consider themselves at 
fault IMHO.  Please...any other oldtimers with dissenting or collaborating 
views chime in here....

Way back when...everyone had 14.4.  Then the v.fc modems came out....they 
were a "beta" basically--but they did sell quite a bit.  I got a 
v.everything modem knowing I could within 2 minutes of downloading new 
firmware upgrade my modem to the final v.34 standard.  Many area ISPs 
installed and maintained v.fc modems.  People asked every day when Digex 
was going to do the same...the "party" line was that they were waiting to 
do it right, etc. and wait for things to finalize.  Because they did not 
want to "strand" people buying cheaper dead-end v.fc-only modems...etc.

So many months after other ISPs had v.fc...Digex installed a test suite of
yes--v.fc modems...the waiting to do it right turned into just doing
v.fc--but months later.  Eventually...more and more v.fc modems were
bought online and over time these were all upgraded to the final v.34
standard. 

Now...over all this time.....a year??...I and a few others maintained that 
we were NOT getting what we thought to be optimal speed connects to Digex 
compared to multiple other places in the metro area.  Each time this 
issue was raised...the "party line" of POTS lines and 28.8 was thrown 
back at us....."no guarantees past 2400 baud...that's life".  I always 
thought this was crap...and that something was WRONG with Digex.  But 
Digex seemingly did not care to investiage this and ignored messages of 
those in the trenches that perhaps actually knew what they were talking 
about.

So my beef has always been that it took an obscene amount of time 
(seemingly) for Digex to even admit the POSSIBILITY that maybe THEY had a 
technical problem...and that it was not "just life" or "bad luck" or 
"blame BA."  I had always assumed it was a modem config problem and the 
refusal of Digex to entertain the notion they could somehow be at fault.  
Only recently were we all detailed on the entire SLC96 catastrohpy.

Anyway...as always...my few pesos.


-- 
Technical Details
Message-ID: <4bqq0o$8d4@access4.digex.net>
Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!unknown!not-for-mail
References: <4a6a30$2n2@ss2.digex.net> <4blbh1$2rk@dec-alpha.fred.net> <AD045B6796684E989C@ehrice.his.com> <4bpp4r$39m@zippy.cais.net>

Show Full Headers
Complete Article Headers
X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit
X-Google-Thread: 10a9ce,d1501dbbe4ab84f7
X-Google-Attributes: gid10a9ce,public
X-Google-Thread: 101049,d1501dbbe4ab84f7
X-Google-Attributes: gid101049,public
X-Google-Thread: 15ff9f,d1501dbbe4ab84f7
X-Google-Attributes: gid15ff9f,public
X-Google-Thread: 109e7a,d1501dbbe4ab84f7
X-Google-Attributes: gid109e7a,public
From: bond@access4.digex.net (Sean Connery)
Subject: Re: SLCs, Digex and BA (Was: Re: DIGEX Customer Newsletter)
Date: 1995/12/27
Message-ID: <4bqq0o$8d4@access4.digex.net>
X-Deja-AN: 122931537
references: <4a6a30$2n2@ss2.digex.net> <4blbh1$2rk@dec-alpha.fred.net> <AD045B6796684E989C@ehrice.his.com> <4bpp4r$39m@zippy.cais.net>
organization: Universal Export
newsgroups: digex.general,digex.slip,balt.general,dc.general